Good Morning Faithful,
Here are the top 49ers headlines for Wednesday, September 22.
New and Notable
Undefeated 49ers Have a Tough Road Ahead vs. Packers, NFC West
The West Coast has dominated the division standings heading into Week 3 of the regular season. The San Francisco 49ers are one of seven undefeated teams across the league, and from the seven, five teams reside in the west. The others with so-far perfect records are the AFC West's Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos, the NFC South's Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NFC West's Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams. Predicted to be one of the most challenging divisions, the NFC West stands 7-1, the best division record heading into Week 3.
"NFC West, we've got a lot of [good players] out there," tight end George Kittle said on ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill & Max show. "But at the end of the day, they've got to go against our defense in Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead and Fred Warner. We have a lot of guys who can make a lot of plays, and I think our offense is going to continue to keep rolling."
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2021 Power Rankings: 49ers Sit as High as No. 2 Heading into Week 3
The San Francisco 49ers continue to find ways to win, which has worked in the team's favor as they closed out their back-to-back road trips 2-0. One of San Francisco's biggest tests looms in Week 3 as the team is set to host the Green Bay Packers on "Sunday Night Football" in the 49ers home opener, despite being short-handed at a number of key positions.
But how are pundits ranking the 49ers, who remain as one of the final seven unbeated teams in the NFL? Here's where several national media sites have ranked the team heading into Week 3.
No Trey Lance in Week 2? Kyle Shanahan Explains Why
Trey Lance made his NFL debut in Week 1, taking four total snaps under center with his first-career pass going for a touchdown.
Since, he's been MIA.
Week 2's victory over the Philadelphia Eagles was all Jimmy Garoppolo's game. While many speculated Kyle Shanahan's rotation of quarterbacks to continue throughout the regular season, the rookie remained on the sideline for the entirety of the contest.
Given San Francisco's uncertainty to open the contest, did it ever cross Shanahan's mind to sprinkle in his rookie signal caller for a momentum change?
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Quick Hits
The 49ers announced on Tuesday they have signed RB Jacques Patrick from the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad to a one-year deal and released CB Dee Virgin from the team's practice squad.
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Mitch Wishnowsky has punted his way to being named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week following his Week 2 performance against the Philadelphia Eagles.
While San Francisco's defense certainly deserves a lot of credit for the team's 17-11 victory on Sunday, the same could be said for the 49ers special teams unit. Wishnowsky notched two punts that pinned Philadelphia inside their own 10 yard line. Neither of the two punts resulted in points for Philadelphia. He finished the day with five punts for 226 yards (45.2 average) with three landing inside the 20. Read More >>>
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According to Pro Football Focus, Trent Williams is the fourth-highest graded offensive player in the NFL so far in 2021 behind only Dallas Cowboys guard Zach Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
75 for 75
"75 for 75" is an article series from the 49ers Museum highlighting moments in the team's history as part of the franchise's 75th Anniversary celebrations in 2021.
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September 17, 1950
The 49ers made their NFL debut against the New York Yanks at Kezar Stadium. The Yanks were a vagabond club, having played in the NFL as the Boston Yanks, then the New York Bulldogs before becoming the New York Yanks in 1950. Their sole gate attraction was former Louisiana State star running back Zollie "Tugboat" Toth.
Ticket prices at Kezar Stadium, a beloved but antiquated facility at the eastern edge of Golden Gate Park near Stanyan Street, ranged from $3.75 at midfield to $2 for general admission. Mayor Elmer Robinson, expecting a solid home crowd, ordered San Francisco police to shut down public roads in Golden Gate Park to allow for parking. It proved to be wishful thinking. Just over 29,000 fans showed up on that sunny September day.
Read all of the entries in the 49ers Museum's 75 for 75 series on 49ers.com/museumstories.
